


Dust and Crystals

by ClickerClaws



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Apocalyptic AU, But mostly Cole, Fluff and Angst, Instead of zombies it's Nindroids basically, M/M, also Cole and Zane are really gay, also Kai and Lloyd are best bros, and glaciershipping, it's gonna be really gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2018-12-13 14:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11761926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClickerClaws/pseuds/ClickerClaws
Summary: As commanded by law, each individual of Ninjago must destroy any and all Nindroids seen on sight without hesitation. This was the way it has been for as long as Cole Brookstone had been alive. He was constantly on the run, in hiding, without a break or a second of peace. Now, a member of the Secret Ninja Force, sworn to protect Ninjago from the ongoing war surrounding them, Cole has exacted revenge. Nothing, not even the mysterious person he had found alone in the marketplace who went by the name of Zane can distract him from his vengeance on the Nindroids.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Starting off this fic with a lot of angst but for good reason. This chapter introduces Cole, and contrasts to how the rest of the story is going to feel like. It emphasizes how dark their world is, and how different Cole's life is before and after he meets Zane. So I'm just trying to prepare you for the Indiana Jones boulder of feels coming in this chapter. Other than that, I hope you enjoy!

Cole couldn't remember a moment in his life when everything was okay.  
  
He grew up scared, frightened, and found it a constant feeling throughout his life. He went to bed with his eyes wide open each night, every sound big and small was a threat. He didn't have a place to call home, for he was always running, but no matter how far he ran, he knew he was always only 10 feet away from death with every step he took. But he was not the only one.  
  
The entire continent was at war. A war that could never seem to end. No one had confirmed it, nor had the courage to admit it, but Ninjago had fallen into apocalyptic destruction. Machines programmed to protect, malfunctioned to wreak havoc on their own home, reprogrammed to destroy, reprogrammed to terminate, reprogrammed to _kill_. Everything and everyone was doomed to be a target in the Nindroids' path. Every man seemed to be for himself. Until Cole Brookstone’s life took a turn for the better.

 

\----

 

"You want that one? It's a bit bulky, are you sure you don't want the shurikens? They could come in handy."  
  
Cole ran his fingertips along the scythe's blade in his hands, studying the weapon of his choice.  
  
"I think I'm going to choose this one. It suits me pretty well and, besides, it's got the least rust on it." He replied, giving it a good swing in front of him.  
  
"Well, if you ever want to change your mind, the shed's always open." Kai gestured to the old, miscellaneous weapons which all looked to be untouched for centuries, hung up on the wall of a shed which seemed to be even older than the things themselves. But as far as Cole was concerned, he was impressed the thing was still standing, hidden and unspotted.  
  
"Ready to head back? It's getting dark and I'll bet dinner will be ready soon." Cole sunk at Kai's offer. He was used to being hungry all the time, and was ready for the change. He nodded his head graciously.  
  
The two of them covered their faces with their hoods and walked a few good feet away from the shed, trying to spot out the entrance to The Refuge through the miniature dust storm that never seemed to stop blowing. They approached the entrance, which had been a waterless brick wishing well, amazing disguise, Cole thought, as he was the first to adjust himself onto the makeshift elevator lift, and was lowered down manually by Kai. Once both of them were on the ground, Kai clicked open a lighter and they veered left down the entrance tunnel.  
\----  
  
_September 18, 2372_  
  
_My second night at The Refuge went pretty well. We had rice for dinner. I don't think I've tasted rice in at least five, maybe six years. It was amazing and really refreshing. I got to know the other ninja a little better and we got along great. Jay's the funny one, and it's pretty obvious he's got a huge crush on Nya, Kai's sister. She's super tough and smart. Kai's probably the coolest person I've ever met, it was awesome for him to show me around._  
_  
__The Refuge is really cool for something so small. They managed to fit in a dojo with a few training dummies. (Also filled with rice probably, I know where to go if we run out of food) They have a shed on the surface, it holds a bunch of old weapons and like a bazillion sticks of dynamite, which I wasn't sure was safe until Kai assured me we were below ground enough with an entire sewer system surrounding us so if the shed were to be lit on fire we'd be just fine. Kai also mentioned over dinner how he wants to become a blacksmith, and maybe if he had the time, he'd look into being the blacksmith's apprentice over at Base: Vixen so we could earn a bit more, and maybe even replace those gross old rotting weapons in the shed but Sensei requested he wait a bit, for he was only one of very few in the SNF._

 

_Which got me thinking; why is it called the Secret Ninja Force if literally the entirety of Ninjago City know of and rely on the protection of the ninja, doesn’t that make it not-so-secret? I don’t know maybe they were secret back in the day and didn’t bother to change the name once the entire city got the gist or something but it makes me wonder how the rest of Ninjago is doing. It’s kind of sad to think about; if Ninjago City have the ninja, then what does the rest of the island have? It’s better not to think about it, but I am extremely grateful for the ninja. Not only are they protecting my home, but they accepted me into theirs. And to think I’m one of them now._

 

_My first training session is tomorrow with Kai and Jay, can't wait to write about it._

 

_~Cole, The Coolest and Strongest Ninja in the SNF_

 

\----

 

Cole jerked at the sudden blaring in his ears, trying to shut out the noise of his morning alarm just for a second. Too early, too tired, just a little longer, he tried to persuade himself. He had soon given up, and reached a hand out for the alarm clock. He blindly slammed on the snooze button, but the noise was reluctant to silence. He slammed a bit harder, and when the alarm didn’t turn off a second time, he shoved the covers out of the way, muttering curse words under his breath. While sitting up, Cole tried again and again at the snooze button, giving a yawn and trying his best to awaken his eyes. The digital numbers blurred slowly into view, and he took a double take. It was 5:36 AM. His heart took a nosedive into his gut. Either he was stupid enough to set his alarm for the wrong time and turn the snooze off, or the blaring didn’t come from his alarm at all.

 

He realized the later a little too late and practically tripped over his mountain of sheets and took two steps at a time down the latter of his bunk. Only then did he realize that he was the only one in the bunker. Literally everyone was already dressed and out of the room, fifteen steps ahead of him. He flinched at the voice of Kai angrily screaming his name over the sirens.

 

With a lump the size of a grapefruit burning in his throat, he scrambled into his gi, ripped his scythe off its place on the wall, and booked it to the main entrance tunnel, his heart pounding. How could he have been so stupid? He should have been used to this by now, the alarm was clearly the activation of a checkpoint, but never has a checkpoint been touched so early in the morning as far as Cole has been there, which hadn’t been long in all honesty considering he’d only been training for two months already but that wasn't the point. The drill was to stay calm–he already failed at that–get into gear if not done already, supply yourself with the weapons necessary, locate the checkpoint–which he assumed they’d already done–round up the Destiny’s Bounty, floor it to the checkpoint and be prepared for anything. It was as simple as that and he always made sure to do it perfect every time but he didn’t even think about early-morning emergencies. He was so screwed.

 

He skidded to a halt at the well’s entrance, looking up to see any sign of light, any sound of voices. His heart skipped again when silence answered him. Guess he had to figure out this whole getting to the top thing on his own.

 

It was a good thing the lift got a few upgrades. He adjusted himself onto the platform and yanked on a newly installed lever at his side which sent him up to the top faster than it would have been doing it manually, hoping and praying for it to take him all the way up without the stupid thing breaking half way to the top. The lift jerked to a stop successfully and Cole climbed out of the well. He mentally thanked Jay for his gift of engineering and glancing around frantically for a sign. As though it were a miracle, he heard the glorious sound of a key turning and engines revving followed by two beams of light shining through the dark of the early morning atmosphere. He flinched at the sudden brightness, coiling away for just a moment until he found the outline of the Destiny’s Bounty thundering toward him. It pulled to the driver’s side, hood veering away from Cole, the van’s automatic door slid open with a crash. A hooded figure greeted him, showing only lightning-blue eyes and a scarred up right brow through the mess of fabric.

 

“Get in, rock boy, the Nindroids aren’t gonna wait for us to show up.” Came Jay’s familiar, snappy voice. Cole ignored his clearly intended sass and scrambled into the Bounty. The moment Cole was inside, Kai slammed on the gas with the van’s door still open, leaving Jay and Cole to frantically close it. Cole was hardly in his seat, too focused on the dashboard’s monitor visible between Kai and Nya that mapped out the way in front of them to sit properly. He studied the GPS before him.

 

“Which checkpoint?” He asked simply, still trying to catch his breath.

 

“Twelve.” Kai answered, his eyes focused on the road. “And no more sleeping in during an attack.”

 

“Ugh, well, you see, there was a little confusion-”

 

“You- You know what? I'd rather not hear it, we gotta focus on getting there, how many boxes of mites do we have left?”

 

“If you mean these pocket-sized bomb thingys that override and/or eradicate a nindroids’ system, then we have… about five.”

 

“Five boxes?”

 

“No, no. Five _mites_.”

 

Kai cursed under his breath. “We’ll have to request more of them soon, that’ll be an expensive visit to Base: Vixen”

 

“Wouldn’t be if you were to make them yourself, Kai.”

 

“What are you getting at?” Kai replied slowly.

 

“Not too hard to get into the blacksmith business, Kai, you’d make us a lot of money, Kai.”

 

“You’ve heard what Sensei Wu said, no part-time jobs until there are a sufficient amount of members in the SNF. Look at us. There’s practically three and a half.”

 

“It’s not very gentlemanlike to call your sister a half, Kai.”

 

“I was talking about you, pebble-brain.”

 

“Shut it, we’re close.” Nya scolded the two of them, silencing their conversation. The Destiny’s Bounty rumbled on through a particularly dry part of the wasteland to where the lonely checkpoint was located, the area oddly still. They silently agreed to park the Bounty a good 20 feet away from the checkpoint itself and start moving out. Kai slowly but surely drove the van up to the site, taking his foot off the gas and onto the break ever so gently. The engines quieted and no one moved. Everything went silent, and Cole could hear the wind whistle.

 

Cole went tense. He didn’t like this feeling.

 

It felt like hours, but with a hauntingly soft “okay” from Kai, the van’s doors started to open, and the four of them stepped out one by one.

 

Cole was not used to this at all, and suddenly recognized the old feeling of fright in his gut. He was usually ready to sprint straight out of the van’s sliding car door and start swinging in the broad daylight, but this is the opposite of what he was used to. It was dark, and the silence was like nothing he had heard before. A shiver coursed through his spine like a tsunami.

 

Where were the Nindroids?

 

With a quivering hand, he reached for a mite, got smacked in the hand by Kai who informed him that there were too few to risk, and reached for a night-vision lense and an earpiece instead. Faster than he felt comfortable with, the others started to head out in different directions.

 

Cole’s stomach did a backflip. He was alone. In the dark.

 

He stood in the Bounty’s safety, dumbfounded for a good minute or so, until he heard a twig snap, and started to sprint. He slowed down to duck behind a boulder, his heart pounding like none other in his chest. He had not the slightest clue of what to do at this point, wondering what the other ninja were doing and if they found out what the heck was going on and where the hell all the Nindroids were. Then he started to consider if they reported to the wrong checkpoint or were pranked into driving all the way out there because there was no way in the Cursed Realm that an attack can be this quie-

 

**BEEEEEAUUMMMMM**

 

Cole shot up from the place he was crouching, utterly panic-stricken in the moment. The blast was farther off, but it was enough to send Cole flying to his feet in search for a more secure place to hide. He frantically fished for the lense in his pocket, adjusting the small optical so he could see through it alright. It didn’t help as much as he’d hoped, all he saw was rocks, but he scanned every inch of the terrain now more visible to him. He spotted the checkpoint itself, not far from where he was standing, and found that his best bet. He snuck up to the shadow of a mountainsides' stone wall where the checkpoint had been, which itself had been a big red button covered by a protective glass case, sitting atop a metal beam on a platform in the pocket of a crevice in the mountain. Seemed to be simple enough, but what to do here? His fear started to lessen as time went by and absolutely nothing happened. This was hopeless, had to be someone’s idea of a joke. He’d imagine some sicko going out of their way to get up early in the morning, sneak around in an unsafe area, set up some firework or flare, or whatever made that noise, doorbell ditch checkpoint 12, and run. He grabbed his night lense and ripped it from his head, studying it in his gloved hand. Maybe he should ring up the other ninja and call it clear, this was getting ridiculous.

 

He took one step away from the checkpoint, and froze.

 

Was that… a sob?

 

He found his feet were starting to turn around, back to the checkpoint, his eyes wide, searching the dark scenery for something, anything else. He saw nothing different from before, hoping desperately for another sign. His breath hitched at another sudden noise; an obvious slip of the foot, caused some small rocks to tumble. He couldn’t tell if his heart was dropping or soaring but he took one more step toward the checkpoint, his breath quickening.

 

“Hello?” He called firmly, and miraculously, he was answered with another sob. He hurried to the opening of the crevice, fumbling for his night vision piece again.

 

“H-Hey, anyone in here?” He called, once more, but with no answer. He tried fitting his body through the crevices’ opening, but his skin met with stone, and very sharp stone at that. Curse this sleeveless gi. He found the opening to be just a bit wider at the bottom, finding this way in easier. He found it hard fitting his shoulders in, but he managed to crawl his way inside, with a few new cuts from the rocky walls but, nothing this ninja couldn’t handle.

 

Once inside, he finally put on the lense, blinking a few times before something blurred into vision. A shape, a figure if you will, of some sort. It had to have been a person. Cole stumbled closer, his heart pounding as he started to hear the poor soul’s cries much more clearly now. He finally reached the side of the curled up shape, shoving off his hood to relieve himself from the effort of trying to crawl into the small space, his face drenched in sweat.

 

“Hey…” He panted, running a gloved hand through his black hair. “Are you alright?”

 

He placed a hand on the figure, which immediately recoiled at his touch. The lost somebody whipped around so fast to face Cole that it took a moment for the lense to refocus on the individual's face.

 

It was a bit harder to identify with a green lense on in a dark place, but there was one thing for certain; the boy’s features were twisted in utter terror. His light-colored hair was all over the place and his face was covered with dirt and scrapes, Cole guessed from trying to scramble into the crevice himself. The boy was a teenager like Cole, but he had to be younger by three years or so.

 

“Where are my parents?” He kid choked out. Cole blinked a few times, assessing the best way to handle the situation before him.

 

“Listen, it’s going to be okay.” Cole said calmly. “We haven't seen your parents, you're the only one we’ve found out here so far.” Cole wasn't certain that was entirely true, he knew nothing of how the others were doing and if they even found anything or not yet.

 

“No… no no, you _had_ to have seen them, they went out there they're _still_ out there we _need_ to find them. _Please_!”

 

“Breathe, kid!” Cole demanded, noticing the rapid rise and fall of the boy’s chest, trying to stay calm himself. “You need to breathe.” He said more softly.

 

Cole sat with the kid long enough for him to regulate his breathing again, but the boy still looked like he’d seen a ghost.

 

“We didn’t find any Nindroids out there.” Cole assured softly. “And if your parents are out there, we will find them. I promise.”

 

The kid nodded gently, his eyes on his feet. Cole rubbed his shoulder assuredly before turning on his earpiece.

 

“Kai. This is Cole, come in? Jay? Nya? Over.” He didn’t really expect anyone to bring an earpiece along, but he had to make absolute sure there were no Nindroids out there before exiting the crevice with the kid. It took a good half a minute until there was a reply.

 

“Cole?” Kai’s voice came in.

 

“Kai, I’m literally at the checkpoint, there's a kid here. He’s scared and I found him alone. He’s looking for his parents, is everything clear down there? Over.” It took another while for Kai to reply again.

 

“Not entirely. Over.” The boy sitting next to Cole lifted his head. Cole put his hand on his shoulder again, silently assuring him not to listen.

 

“Why, did you see any Nindroids? Over?” He said more quietly, facing away from the kid who was obviously trying to pick up the littlest things from the conversation.

 

“No... We took some down, and the rest of them went up and gone, but I’m afraid that’s not all we found… Over.” Kai returned darkly.

 

Cole’s brows knitted together. “You… what? What are you talking about?”

 

“You might want to come out here… Make sure the kid’s close. Keep him calm and try your best to prepare him for the worst… We’re around the corner of the mountain, opposite direction of Destiny’s Bounty. Over and out.”

 

“Kai, wait.” Cole sputtered. “What are you saying? That’s not all you found? What do you mean by prepare him for th- Kai?”

 

Cole exhaled in a shutter, shoulders quivering as he slowly turned to face the kid again. “We… we gotta get out of here.”

 

“What did he say? Did he find my parents? Where are they?”

 

“Please. Come with me. We have to get out of this crevice.” Cole pleaded.

 

“But, they said to stay put until they get back, I can't leave until they get back.” He replied matter-of-factly, wrapping his arms around his knees.

 

“Listen. You need to follow me to the others.” Cole got to his feet, but crouched in the small space, holding a hand out to help the kid up, but the boy only held his knees tighter, half his face hidden behind his knees.

 

“I'm not leaving.” He declared darkly.

 

“I can't leave you here.”

 

“Can you stay then?”

 

Cole sighed at the boy’s request, sitting down again to look him in the eye. “I can't.” He said quietly. “All the nindroids are gone, they won't hurt you.” The boy looked away from the earth ninja, trying not to look him in the eye. His lip quivered and his eyes began to water again. Cole paused. “The others want to see you. They want to make sure you’re safe.” He scooted a bit closer, his lips forming in a gentle smile though it wasn’t visible in the darkness. “What do you say?”

 

It took a while, but the boy let out a shaky sigh and began to lift himself up, letting out a gasp as his foot slipped on the rocks around him, but he stood slowly, trying to maintain his balance. Cole was first to squeeze out of the opening, his build making it difficult to find the right position to exit properly. The kid had it easier, he was far skinnier than Cole, and probably not in a good way. Cole swallowed his guilt for the boy and offered him a hand, helping the rest of his body out. Standing up slowly, the boy gazed around the dark scenery, his shoulders tensing in fear of an awaiting Nindroid waiting for the right time to strike. Cole turned to face him.

 

“It's important for you to stay behind me okay? It's going to be alright.”

 

The kid nodded, following Cole along the mountain’s stone wall around the base. They walked for a good few minutes through the dark rocky terrain, Cole looking back once and awhile to make sure the boy was close. They hardly spoke to each other throughout the walk there. The boy decided to hold on to the ninja’s arm halfway through, finding it hard to navigate without slipping in the dark. Cole readjusted his lense the moment he saw three visible shapes farther down the hill, trying to see if he could make the vision clearer. They were definitely the others. They appeared to be standing around something that also soon came into focus. It was too far away to make out but the ninja awaiting them were staring down at it. Cole squinted, turning to the boy who was tightly grasping his forearm.

 

“I see them, but they're at the bottom of this hill, so watch your step.” The boy nodded, following right behind Cole as the two of them slowly but surely made their way to the bottom. As the form the ninja were observing came into view, Cole’s brows knitted in concern. A jumble of say four or five bodies lying motionlessly on the ground. Cole gulped. He tried his best to persuade himself that figures lying on the ground had been nothing more than slain Nindroids to block out the confusion and icky feelings rising in his head. Later did he realize that the sky began to lighten in hue ever so lightly, and for once hoped the sun wouldn't come up too fast for the boy to witness the dead Nindroids sprawling the ground. Before he was close enough to get the other’s attention, he stopped and faced the kid behind him.

 

“Hey, I just want you to know that we’re all here to protect you alright?” He started out, reaching for his night vision piece and pulling it off his eye. He blinked a few times in the pre-dawn light, looking the boy in the eye without the lense for the first time. “I'm picking up that they’ve found something you may not prefer to see, so stay close, and it's okay to look away.” Cole’s eyes met what looked to be green ones, wide and outstretched in concern. He nodded. Before Cole nodded in return, he heard a voice calling him close behind. Cole’s head whipped to his right side, making out the outline of Nya’s face.

 

“Cole, I’m glad you’re here. While you were out, a blast went off over here and the three of us followed the… noise.” She slowed down the moment she noticed the boy next to him, who was hard to see in the dim atmosphere. Her face twisted into an expression Cole couldn’t quite read as he noticed Kai and Jay approaching. They appeared oddly quiet at first. The boy stood awkwardly, shuffling his feet as he cast his eyes about the ninja’s shadowy faces. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

 

“Is… everything okay?” He questioned. Kai and Jay glanced at each other as if trying to find something to say. Nya quickly came closer, beating them to it.

 

“So, about the blast.” she started hesitantly. “We did come to find that it in fact did come from a Nindroid. But we spread out and, Jay took a few out with a mite, (Cole pursed his lips at this bit of information) and Kai finished the ones that didn’t decide to flee off…”

 

“So what, they just up and left? They didn’t try to attack you?” Cole questioned. He noticed the kid shifting an awful lot, and it didn’t take long to realize that Nya had been doing the same too; she had been attempting to block his line of sight.

 

“No, which is strange, they’ve never behaved this way before.” Jay answered him, worry still gracing his visible features though his hood was still on. Although Nya had finished talking, she continued to mirror the kid who was starting to get frustrated. Cole tried to put the pieces together.

 

“When I was at the checkpoint, you mentioned that the Nindroids ‘weren’t all you found’.Tell me about that...” Cole brought up, speaking slowly and carefully. He noticed that the other three of the ninja only became more uneasy. Kai looked at the floor and Jay’s eyes wondered around rapidly as if trying desperately to find something to say. Meanwhile the silent battle between the boy and Nya didn’t waver. Cole was afraid there was something they were keeping from the both of them. Jay finally spoke, but quiet enough for the kid not to hear.

 

“Maybe… Maybe you should take the kid to the Bounty, bringing him here was a mistake.” He stammered, eyes wide in a serious expression. Cole’s eyes narrowed a bit in confusion. There was something in Jay’s half-covered face that screamed guilt, his eyes pleading. Cole’s eyes bore down into Jay’s. It wasn’t clear what the deal with the other ninja were, but he had the slightest feeling that something has gone terribly wrong. Cole heard a frustrated grunt from the kid next to him, and turned to see him shove Nya out of the way out of the corner of his eye. He started to sprint.

 

The four of them whipped around in alarm, and Kai started to book it after him.

 

“No, kid! Stop! Stop where you are. _Don’t get any closer!_ ” The two at Cole’s sides followed soon after, shouting at the kid to halt. Cole found his feet glued to where he was standing, frozen for a motionless five seconds before his feet found the courage to charge forward. His heart started to sink deeper and deeper into the depths of his gut the closer he got to where the kid was running to and all realizations rushed to his head at once. _Please, come back, don’t look please don’t look._ His head throbbed and his legs felt weak but he kept running. He had to get to him before he…

 

He saw the kid fall to his knees. Cole’s breath hitched and his heart seemed to stop.

 

Kai was the first to get to him. He crouched down next to the boy who immediately gave into the stranger’s embrace, yelling and bawling into the fire ninja’s shoulder. Jay kneeled down to the two of them, his arms shaking as he placed a shoulder on the blonde-haired boy curled up in Kai’s arms. Nya was the first besides Cole to remove her hood, though her face was hidden by her hands, followed by Kai and Jay. Cole stood frozen once more. He couldn’t remove his eyes from the mess of bodies. Three had been Nindroids, circuits and wires sticking out of katana wounds, sparks flying from the dismantled robotic limbs and parts. The other two… Cole finally flinched away. He was going to be sick.

 

His eyes followed to where Kai, Jay and the kid were, the boy grasping the folds of Kai’s gi, his shoulder’s taking on shutter after shutter, outburst after outburst filled the air which was now growing lighter and lighter the longer they stood there. None of the ninja said a word. The air was cold, and Cole’s stomach turned again. The world went into slow motion and the boy’s cries were drained out by the blood pounding painfully in Cole’s ears. His head tumbled into dizziness, his breath quickening along with his heart. He had been the one to delay their rescue, he was the one to keep the other ninja waiting, to wake up that much later, they would have made it if it wasn’t for him. It was him, it was _all him_.

  
This was _his_ fault. This was _all his fault_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay screws up and Cole takes a trip to Base: Vixen, finding more than just groceries.

_January 2, 2373_

_Lloyd’s already been with us for three months, and he’s doing really well. He’s getting along great with Jay, Nya, Kai, Sensei and me and he seems to like Kai the most. Kai helped him the most getting settled and being there for him when he needed to be. Just proves a point of how cool Kai is. Lloyd’s been doing great, training and coping with what’d happened and all. He told me he was grateful that I found him at the checkpoint, though I have a hard time forgetting what happened that night. The memory’s so… vivid and I couldn't get it out of my mind, how broken Lloyd was, how terrible I felt, how I blamed myself. No one really seemed to speak at all that day until Lloyd decided to ask some questions about the SNF at dinner time. He didn’t eat much, but at least he was talking. We got into conversation, while trying to avoid the events from that morning, and I kinda ended up spilling everything about Ronin._

_I wouldn’t really call Ronin a guardian. He treated me like some sort of rookie soldier in training, like some scared kid at a boot camp. My father sort of handed me over to him when I was five because he “wanted me to be safe” or he “wanted what’s best for me”. In all honesty, I think I was only given up because he couldn't run a steady-paying job at Base: Arctic with his kid running around unsupervised during the apocalypse. Either way, even though Ronin didn't give an eff about taking care of me, at least I wasn't entirely on my own as much as I felt like it. I probably have been killed ten years ago if it weren't for him bossing me around, forcing me into doing what he wanted, and treating me like garbage._

_But he did teach me how to shoot a rifle once, that was pretty cool._

_Unfortunately though, shortly before I became a ninja, we got separated. Not that he cared, I think he was about done with me anyway._

_So anyway, My first Christmas Eve with the ninja was pretty amazing to say the least. We didn’t get any reports, I guess Nindroids don’t fancy the first snow of the season, even if there was very little snowfall. Base: Vixen offered us dinner and we got noodles! Had to be the best meal I’ve ever had. And it was really good for Lloyd. Christmas morning I got a set of drums from Sensei (wherever he got the money or patience, I don’t know but) I’ve never been more happy to receive something in my life._

_Lloyd mentioned the other day that he plays the ukulele, which is cool because the uke would sound super cool with drums, but he told me that he had to leave it behind the last time he had to evacuate his home. My drums hadn’t really been touched anyway. Couldn’t find time to jam on them when there’re Nindroids running all over the place. I hope one day we all could have a really cool jam session. Me on the drums, Lloyd on the ukulele, Kai on the guitar, Nya on the keyboard, and Jay on the triangle or something. A bit far-fetched, anything that’s more of a want than a need is hella expensive, but I hope we could find those moments to actually have fun once and awhile, y’know?_

_~Cole, the raddest drum player in Ninjago_

  
\----

Cole hurried on through the entrance tunnel, following Kai and Nya with Lloyd behind him. Their footsteps echoed loudly through the towering stone walls of the tunnel as Cole kept his eyes focussed ahead, mind on the mission and what may lie ahead. He was rudely snapped out of focus, however, when Kai skidded to a sudden halt, almost making Cole tumble backward into Lloyd.

“What the heck?” he muttered, trying to see around Kai and Nya. Jay was kneeling by the elevator lift, holding a blowtorch and wearing a dorky full-face protective mask which he lifted up to see them better. He gave them a quizzical look to match their own.

“Can I help you?” he asked slowly.

Kai began to stutter. “Wh-... You… Dude, training at checkpoint 4 starts soon- How long have you been here? Are you trying to update the lift _again?_ ”

“Possibly. Wouldn’t hurt to give it a few improvements once in awhile, would it?”

“No, unless you start using up all the food money for parts, then I’d be concerned.”

“Guys!” Nya reminded them harshly.

“Right right. Jay, we need to get up there and you need to get ready,” Kai instructed.

“Alright, alright, don’t get your katanas in a twist, just let me make sure it’s set up right.” Kai groaned at Jay’s response. Of all the hours in a day he had to choose this one to experiment. The four of them stood around, impatience coming off of them in waves as Jay finished up, which took much longer than it would have climbing up out of the well and back down. Jay finally stood, tossing his blowtorch to the side and lifting up the metal plate covering his face. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve and turned to the other four, triumph gracing his features. “She’s all yours,” he declared. The others didn’t look too pleased but they had no time to bicker.

As Jay scooped up his tools and ran off towards the bunker, the prepared four piled onto the now “slightly renovated” elevator lift and tugged on the lever, sending them up at what seemed to be the exact same speed it had been going the night before. The four climbed off the lift and hurried for Destiny’s Bounty, prepared to leave Jay behind if they had to.

 

  
Cole chugged his entire canteen empty on his way back to the Bounty. Who the hell puts a checkpoint smackdab in the middle of a flipping _plateau?_ His head was throbbing from the heat and the effort from the climb and his heart had been set on a long nap on his bunk, maybe he could even get himself to make a decent meal first before crashing. He threw himself into the dusty old van, not bothering to put on his seat belt or even sit up as the engine started and took them back to the Refuge. Everyone had been too tired to talk to each other on the way back. No wonder checkpoint 4 was hardly activated; it was far too steep to even bother climbing. Hell if Cole had the choice, he’d choose the Nindroids over climbing that thing again. The Bounty was parked in its spot beside the shed and Cole summoned all his energy to get up and out of the van.

Kai, Nya, Lloyd, Cole and Jay dragged their aching limbs to the well and onto the elevator lift, looking like a bunch of dying worms left on the road with no soil for miles. Jay tugged the lever with a grunt, causing the lift to jerk, which felt a bit odd, seeing that the lift usually worked smoothly enough. The five peered around the platform.

“It does that sometimes when you restart it, don’t get all worked up over a little bump,” he mumbled, shoving the matter off. The lift inched down, and a loud creak got the teens alert again, concern overcoming them.

“Just a rusty gear I'm sure it's nothing,” Jay insisted again, and soon after that, the entire platform came to a stop, still plenty of feet off the ground. Before Jay could come up with another excuse, the other four turned to face him with uneasy and questionable expressions. Jay gulped. “Yes well, that could be a problem, let me just…” He grabbed onto the lever and pulled. When it didn't budge the first time he tried again, tugging on the lever with all his might. Cole started to get aggravated. With an annoyed groan, he shoved through Lloyd and Nya, shooed Jay away, cracked his knuckles and yanked on the lever, which budged at his strength. And he regretted everything immediately. Before the blink of an eye, before a breath could be drawn, the floor beneath them gave way, and Cole wasn’t prepared in the slightest. The world tumbled into a tornado of rushing wind and silent screams, roaring by in a blur. It went fast, yet slow in the moment and he knew the pain was coming, waiting at the bottom of the well.

The impact was quick and sudden. Everything went crashing down, his body slammed to the ground, and he felt nerves tighten and bones shift. He coughed, sending bits of saliva into the dusty, unbreathable air and let out a painful grunt as he attempted to hoist himself up. He had to make sure the others were okay.

His back burned at the effort, but he managed to lift himself off the cluttered ground. His legs quivered under his own weight and he wobbled slightly, his blurred vision slowly coming into focus as he tried to assess the condition of his friends.

Everything was a mess; The elevator’s platform was dented up at random places and the lever had sprung off entirely. Gears littered the ground and ropes and chains that supported the lift hung in loose places above them. His friends looked no better. They were sprawled out in a tangle on the cement, Cole wincing at their chorus of painful groans. Kai was muttering angrily. He seemed to have forgotten that Lloyd was next to him, he was swearing up a storm. But Lloyd didn’t seem to respond at all. His arms were tightly covering his head with his face hardly visible. Nya began to get up and stumbled over to Jay who was wincing and yelling “ow ow ow ow” repeatedly, grasping his foot with both his hands.

“Agh… I… I think it’s broken.”

\----

Cole rubbed the back of his neck as his muscles strained at the aching pain from the pressure he put on it, reminding him of the fall eight weeks before. The fall put all of them in inconvenient condition, Jay especially. It made the past 2 months a bit more difficult to fight and train, but they healed through it. Jay had to sit some out at first, but with the down time he had, he had plenty of time to fix the lift, from the bottom at least, but starting that week, he was able to handle walking (or rather limping) without crutches. The elevator lift was working fine again, and Sensei Wu kept a close eye on Jay through the process to make sure he didn’t try anything questionable.

Cole stared mindlessly at the plate of beans that were placed in front of him, letting a sigh escape his lips.

“Beans _again?_ ” Jay had voiced his thoughts, scolding his food like Kai had given him a dead rat. “We’ve literally been eating nothing but beans for the past five weeks, isn't there anything else we could have? Anything?”

Sensei Wu silenced him with smack on the head with his staff, causing the lightning ninja to let out a shocked yelp and rub his head.

“Quit being so ungrateful and eat your beans,” Wu rasped. “And no, they are all we have at the moment. Thanks to your superb inventing skills, your condition has prevented you all from traveling to Base: Vixen and supplying yourselves with the groceries we desire. Plus, we can still live just fine eating beans, so get busy.”

“But, my leg’s fine now, and the lift is operating smoothly. It's my turn to go to Base: Vixen anyway, I could just pop in and out, get us some stuff that won't destroy my digestive system if I actually eat something different for once.”

“Beans will not destroy your digestive system,” Nya interrupted.

“Whatever. I was just thinking, why don't I go get some more variety real quick…”

“Are you implying that you want to walk ten miles to Base: Vixen in a Nindroid-infested wasteland with a broken leg?” Sensei questioned.

“Well, I thought it'd be easier to take the Destiny’s Bounty and-”

“Can't. We have to keep the Bounty here in case there's an attack,” Lloyd pointed out.

“Well, one of you could just drop me off, right, I mean, it only takes a few minutes. No one’s going to activate a checkpoint while I’m gone, It’ll be-”

Cole let out a long, dragged out sigh. “If I take your place will you stop talking?” The ninja sitting around the table lifted their heads slightly, some glancing at him thankfully that he stepped in while Jay just crossed his arms, defeated.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay walking that far, Cole? You know, with your back hurting and all?” Kai questioned.

“You kidding? It’s practically healed,” Cole assured. “Don’t worry guys, you’ll be eating bean-less meals in no time.”

\----

Cole could see the outline of the mountain that held Base: Vixen’s vault door up ahead, relief washing over him instantly. His calves ached from the walk and he was looking forward to some food, though it wasn't very respectful to his other hungry bunker-mates to eat without them, he was pretty positive they wouldn't mind.

Cole took a nice long swing from his canteen and dragged his feet the rest of the way to the vault entrance. He fumbled around in his pack, trying to feel for a square, plastic license card, the one that allowed him and the other ninja access into the Base. He snatched the card reassuringly, gave it a quick swipe on the keypad and waited. He heard a familiar rumble from inside the metal door, locks coming undone and gears working to allow him into the mountain-embedded Base. The earth ninja shoved the card back into his pocket and ran in as the door was just barely above his head to crouch through, kind of what you would do to enter a garage with the lack of patience. The enclosed entrance hall was dark and quiet, the dim yellow-green hanging lights above the low ceiling flickered hauntingly on the gray stone walls of the empty hall and all Cole could hear was the sound of water dripping endlessly from a far off faucet.

The mere essence of the place sent a shiver to course through Coles spine. He wasn’t worried or uneasy, he just had the strangest feeling being present in it. He alertly made his way down the alley-like hallway to the elevator which appeared to be the only thing admitting much light on the entire level. He entered the elevator quickly, which had been much more modernized than the outdated lift they had at the Refuge, and studied the buttons on the control panel on the wall. There had to be a hundred floors in Base: Vixen. He couldn't help but wonder what each of them held. Sure, the Base was chalk full of living spaces, labs to grow food, storage and factories, but the only floor Cole or any of the other ninja had gone to was level 56; the marketplace, one of many at least.

Cole took a deep breath. He knew what was coming.

He pressed down on the button labeled “56”, watched as the elevators metal doors slammed and locked, and held on for dear life onto the railings. The fall wasn’t close to as bad as the one he had experienced at the Refuge those two months ago, it was designed to take you down fast enough without allowing you to feel like the elevator was falling at gravity’s will, it was very safe and restrained, but the thought of going down so many floors at the speed of a rocket made him sick. His ears plugged up many times before the elevator began to slow gradually, descending to a stop. Cole nearly stumbled out of the now open doors of the elevator, recovering from the dizzying yet smooth sensation. His ears popped back into focus and he could hear the buzzing of the Base’s busy people bustling around from the biggest pavilions to the smallest carts that dotted the cavern, that was so wide and so brightly lit, that it was almost like it was illusioned to look like an outside shopping center.

Cole was driven forward by the scents and the freshness of the place, the air was rejuvenating compared to the arid, lung-clenching atmosphere outside. He began to feel jealousy for the people living in Base: Vixen. The safety of the Nindroid-free shelter was supplied with just about everything, things Cole couldn't even begin to imagine, but the reality of it was, the permanent residents of the place were scared yet pitiless people who were in a way, prissy, and seemed to never speak of Nindroids, and Cole wasn't sure if the reason was because they didn't have to worry about them, or if the word made them uneasy. He was starting to think that the reason the SNF wasn’t offered a home there was because everyone expected them to be the only ones courageous enough to do something about the Nindroid attacks, and that as long as the ninja were out there fighting they were safe inside their mountain confinement, miles underground. Seemed a bit selfish to him, but he didn't want to ponder that matter much longer. As long as he had a license, they were set, and that was all that mattered.

Cole quickly covered his gi with his leather coat vest and wandered through the rows of stands, tarps, tables and carts set out one after another in the market, eyeing things, but not looking long enough to appear interested and attract the eager, unwanted attention from the sellers. He planned to go unnoticed. Just a quick trip was all he wanted, in and out. He sauntered forward to where they kept the breads and preserved foods, hungrily avoiding the pasta section, (noodles were sadly out of their budget) and scanning the array of food laid out in front of him. After some deciding and calculating, Cole ended up with two loaves of bread, six pounds of white rice, a bottle of honey, and an assortment of dried fruit, and couldn't help but notice that he had plenty of marks left from a sale on the bread. He shuffled the extra coins in his palm, thinking carefully, then shoving the pile in his pack. Though it would be the better decision to save the money, the extra cash was on the back of his mind on his way through the market and to the elevator he boarded. As he strode quickly through the crowd with his groceries in tow, in no hurry to direct attention to himself, he started to pick up the faintest sound of strings plucking through the loud bustle of the busy crowd around him. He found his feet veering away from his targeted path, and let them lead him to the sound. The others were going to have to wait just a little bit longer.

Cole rarely ever heard music. The melody drove him forward like it was something he’d heard for the very first time, putting him in a trance, driving him forward. He shuffled through the slow-moving crowd, his ears open, careful not to lose it. He tried to pick up the pace and started cutting through people any chance he could, snaking around the mob in quick action to make it through to the other side of the aisle, but the music was not the only thing that caught him off guard. His attention to the melody was divided at once at not another sound, but a sight. In the corner of his eye was a white mass, a white shadow, if you will. There was something about it that made Cole’s eyes lock onto the figure. Though it was several feet ahead of him and hard to keep in his sight in the sea of people, it stood out. It was like a lily in a desert, clashing with the dull browns and grays of the market and the people around him, rippling and waving as it moved like a white sea. Cole couldn't move his eyes away from the almost glowing figure, moving quickly with the crowd with it's back to him. His eyes broke away the moment he was harshly shoved away by a passerby, then another, realizing that he had lost focus and was walking aimlessly into other people. He hadn't forgotten the music that was playing sweetly ahead of him, and he forced his mind to get back on track.

He picked up the pace, slithering past some who were walking with a slower one. He could tell he was getting closer, it was when he turned the corner that it was loudest of all. He slowed at the edge of the aisle where the crowd started to break off, glancing around for the source until he found a quilt-covered canvas with wooden carvings as far as the eye can see with the seller strumming melodiously on a stringed instrument, a ukulele, Cole guessed, with plenty of copies hung up for display in the most beautiful array of colors.

Cole wasn't sure what he thought of first; the unused money left in his pack or Lloyd. Cole shook the thought out of his head immediately. If noodles were too expensive than this had to be a fortune. Sure, he must have had enough, considering the emergency money they always brought while grocery shopping, but that was hardly ever used. He took the pack off from his shoulders and held it tightly in his hands, tapping his foot. Whatever choice he made, it would make him super guilty in the end. Surprise Lloyd and do him a favor for his troubles or spend their precious money? His foot began to tap faster. He found himself in a cycle of checking the price written under the assorted instruments, counting up the extra money and the emergency money, imagining Lloyd’s reaction, imagining everyone else’s reaction, imagining himself never being able to go to Base: Vixen ever again after his poor financial decisions, and shoving away the thought altogether. He clenched the pack in his hands and began to unzip the center pouch, until a voice rang in from close by.

“There's got to be more I can purchase, I cannot live off of this, can't I get anything else? Please?”

Cole lowered his pack ever so slightly, listening into a response.

“You've got three marks. There's not much you can do with that.” The reply was deep and gruff, with a snappy and impatient tone much contradicting to the young, soft voice from before. Cole glanced in the direction in the two voices in conversation, which had conveniently been right next to the ukulele canvas to his left.

“There has to be something. Dried corn isn't all I can afford, is it?” The white shadow was just as blinding and as bright as when it was striding through the crowd, just out of Cole’s reach, now standing in front of a small food cart with its back still to Cole. He watched motionlessly, listening.

“What are you, deaf? I told you about a hundred times, this is all you can afford, either buy something or get out of my sight,” was the seller’s bitter response, and Cole found his feet slowly turning away from where he was admiring the ukuleles.

“Please, I'll give you my cloak, it's all I have,” the stranger in white begged. Cole pursed his lips, studying the said offered cloak. It covered the customer’s body like a ghost, the only colors contradicting the perfect white fabric were the brown satchel and boots and the light blue accented designs and patterns beautifully spiraling around the white sheet, shining in the cavern’s light, so subtle that it wasn’t a surprise Cole didn’t notice them the first time.

“It'd be a shame, it's a pretty nice cloak.” Two sets of eyes met Cole’s all at once and he realized too late that he’d just said that out loud.

Cole scoffed to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose at his interference. He took a moment to collect himself, trying to keep the cool he’d temporarily lost. Before he could possibly sort out something else to say, the stranger in the cloak interrupted.

“Thank you,” they said coolly, and that was when Cole really got a look at their face. Well, half of it at least. With the hood already darkening their features, a white bandana hid their nose and mouth, a dragon muzzle printed on the fabric, which Cole thought was neat. His gaze was slowly inching up to where the eyes had been before the stranger had to turn away to face the seller, who began to speak again.

“I don't take trades. For the last time, buy something or leave my store.” Cole noticed the stranger slump in defeat, and a lump started to form in his throat. He absentmindedly but quickly stepped up beside the cloaked person who was beginning to open up a satchel, pausing at his approach.

“How much for the soup and sweet rolls?” he asked the seller. The man was hesitant, but he gave him his answer.

“Ten marks for the soup, five for the sweet rolls.” Cole took his pack off his shoulder, unzipped the pouch and counted out twenty-five coins, throwing all the extra money, plus a bit of the emergency money onto the counter. The two left the stand with one can and three rolls packed neatly in a bag, the stranger in white speechless at what the earth ninja had done.

“You didn't have to do that,” they finally spoke up, looking up at the other though their eyes didn't meet.

“It was nothing,” Cole responded, shrugging his shoulders. Then he was suddenly being pulled back before he could walk any longer, forcing him to a stop, forcing him to look the stranger in the eyes.

“No. Really. You did something I could not thank you enough for. Please, allow me to pay you back somehow.” Cole couldn't bring himself to reply. Oh those eyes. The lightning-blue pools seemed to put him in an immediate trance, they could drown someone if one got lost in them. Cole gulped. He wasn’t fully sure if he could speak.

“No, no no, you… you don't have to, honest,” he finally choked out. He then realized that the stranger was grabbing onto his arm from when they pulled him to the side, wriggling free from their grasp. He cleared his throat. “It's no trouble. The last thing you need is to give up something else just because I had the decency to help.”

As if the blue eyes couldn't get any brighter, they lit up a little at Cole’s offer and before Cole knew it, the stranger had thrown off their hood and unhooked the bandana from the bridge of their nose, revealing their whole face. If Cole had butterflies before, they were swarming up a storm now. The white-haired male’s face beheld a smile as bright as his eyes.

“My name is Zane,” he said simply. It took a while for Cole to realize that he had been holding a hand out to him awaiting for a shake in return.

“Uh, Cole.” He took Zane’s hand in his own, for some reason, saddened at the fact that they had both been gloved, and gave it a firm shake. Cole held out the bag in front of him, leaving Zane to take it hesitantly and put it neatly in his satchel. It was only then that a loud voice had interrupted their silence.  
“ _Hey you!_ ”

Zane jolted at the voice, and before Cole could get just one last glance at his face, it was covered up again.

“Oh no. Not again,” Cole heard him mutter under his breath, and snatched Cole’s hand again before he had the chance to look around at the threat. Cole was pulled forward abruptly, about stumbling over his own feet as Zane pulled him, trying to regain his footing as the white-haired teen bolted down the aisle, dragging a very surprised Cole with him. They turned a sharp corner, the world around Cole a blur as he was tugged under a table that he was sure held expensive vases, and crouched beside Zane who had been looking away from Cole and out behind them to see if they’d been followed. He was breathing heavily.

“Who was that?”

“ _Shh!_ ”

“ _Who was that?_ ” Cole repeated in a whisper.

“ _Security,_ ” Zane whispered back simply. Cole waited for a moment, and when Zane didn't say anything further, started to do some sort of desperate circular hand motion as a sign to continue.

“ _Well? Why are they chasing you?_ ” Zane winced, looking back at Cole. He paused for a second as if trying to decide whether to tell him anything or not.

“ _I_ … _I_ _snuck_ _in_ _without_ _a_ _license_.” Cole gaped at his response. “I couldn't afford one!” Zane replied immediately to Cole’s reaction, his hands in front of him in a defensive manner.

“I _know_ you couldn’t afford one, _blue eyes_ , but don't you think that was a little, I don't know, _illegal?_ ” Zane shrunk at Cole’s remark.

“I had no food. I couldn't find any, and Base: Red was just as reluctant to help, I had no choice!”

“ _Quiet_ ,” Cole hushed, and Zane did so as three security guards in red and black uniforms rushed passed, missing them entirely. Cole let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and looked out to make sure they were long gone.  
“We’ve lost them.”

The two of them snuck out from their spot under the table, careful not to catch the vase seller’s eye, and wandered in the opposite direction of where the guards disappeared. Cole took a glance behind him at Zane who looked very uneasy.

“It's okay, they're far away now,” he reassured, trying to ease him of his worry. Zane looked up at Cole, and though his eyes were shadowed by his hood, they bore guilt. Cole sighed. “Let’s get out of here.” Zane nodded and allowed Cole to lead him through the market to the elevator he entered, though it took a while due to another crowd. They slowly shuffled through the mob, the air becoming uncomfortably silent though the crowd around them was fairly loud. Cole glanced down at Zane.

“Base: Red, huh?” he started, breaking the silence between them. “Did you, uh, live in Stix for a while?”

“Yes.” Zane uncovered his dragon-print bandana from his face, staring at his feet as they slowly moved with the crowd. “I don't really fancy underwater facilities, though, the risk of flooding is too high.”

Cole smiled a centimeter wider. “Is that why you left?” He heard a chuckle come from Zane.

“No,” he sighed. “I just… it wasn't the right place for me. So I came here. To Ninjago City.” They walked a few feet before he continued. “You know the Secret Ninja Force, right?”

Cole’s eyebrows raised. It took a short while to find the right thing to say. “I… Yes, of course. I know them,” he hesitated. “Why, what about them?”

“Nothing really. Ninjago City is safe and most people around the island want to live in Base: Vixen because of them. Including me. But, alas, I can't even afford a license let alone food. It's good to know Ninjago City has people to look after it.” Cole felt his smile widen, but it faltered the moment Zane didn’t return it. He was looking around frantically, like he could sense something Cole couldn't, until Cole finally picked up yet another set of voices.  
“There he is!”  
“ _Stop right_ _there!_ ”

“Run!” Cole shouted. It was his turn to grab Zane’s wrist and break for it, shoving through the crowd as he sprinted in the direction of the elevator. He could hear a clamor of voices yelling behind him, the mob slowing them down, but he had to outrun them. They rounded another sharp corner, the elevator coming into sight just ahead. They were almost there. Just a little bit farther. The crowd began to go their separate ways again, giving them a bit more speed, he bore through the aisle, dodging people along the way.

Then, about three people, all in red and black uniforms, bolted around the corner in front of them, coming out of nowhere, heading straight toward them.

New route, here we go. Cole skidded to a stop and tossed himself into another aisle, dragging Zane along with him, with what had to be about five security guards behind them now. Cole refused to look back and check, trying to plan a way to break for the elevator and outrun the guards. Part of him didn't even know what he was doing or why he was doing it. He felt like he was the one in trouble now and got himself tangled up in Zane’s mess, trying to get away from security like he’d done something wrong. Whatever happens now, he was somehow part of it. He suddenly snapped back to focus when he saw a stone wall dead ahead. He began to skid to a stop, his heart stopping in his chest.

Dead end.  
Cole and Zane came to an abrupt stop, frantically looking for some possible way to escape.  
“Stop right there!”  
This was it. They were done for. Cole and Zane turned around regretfully to meet a band of security guards, one who was muttering into an earpiece while the rest surrounded the two. Cole’s breathing was unsteady, he scanned each one of them, his muscles tense, his back aching again. He glanced sideways at Zane, who looked smaller than ever, his eyes hidden by his hood. Cole bent down closer, trying to assure him that he was going to be okay while one of the guards began to stride up, looking Cole in the eye while Zane cowered beneath his hood.

“Please… Officer, whatever he did, he had a good reason-” Cole sputtered, his words quicker and shakier than he intended.

“I don't want to hear it. The security cameras clearly picked up what appeared to be a cloaked individual sneaking in behind another without a Base license. Either he show me proof of possession of a Base license, or we’ll have to take him to level 82 where he’ll be questioned for his actions.” Zane was shivering, holding his arms and staying close to Cole whose eyes widened at the guard’s accusation.

“No, he can't, he had no choice, he’s poor and has no money, he’s _starving_ ,” Cole choked out as another guard ordered Zane to give up his satchel, who gave it to her reluctantly with shaking hands. The second guard searched it.

Cole picked up what the second guard was muttering to the first. “No license, but he was carrying this.” She handed the first guard the bag of soup and rolls Cole had purchased for Zane, a bit crinkled from all the running, watching as the guard pried it open. He exhaled, observing the bag’s contents.

“If he couldn't afford anything, then where did he get these?” The guard held the bag out to Cole, who lowered his brows at the thought of the guard implying that Zane had stolen food from the market. Cole looked the guard in the eye.

“I bought them. Like I said, he needed _food_.” The guard stared back at Cole with a glare, his expression as stern as before Cole had cleared him up. Cole’s eyes widened once again. “Officer I'm telling the truth!”

“I'm not hearing another word until we get both of you down to 82. You have the right to remain silent.” Cole felt something nasty boil up in his stomach as the other guards began to cave in closer to the two, his teeth clenching as he stood his ground.

“You can't take him.” Cole breathed, beginning to unbutton his coat vest absentmindedly. Zane’s face slowly started to come out of shadow again, watching Cole.

“I said, you have the right to remain silent!”

“And _I_ said, you're not taking him!” Cole’s face was now covered by his hood, his coat and pack on the cavern’s floor, abandoned. Many of the security guards were staring, motionless, as if this was some kind of situation they hadn't been prepared for. The guard who had been talking to Cole had his back to them, oblivious to what was going on, and was about to order the other officers around before he picked up their behavior, and turned around, almost staggering to face Cole. Looking embarrassed, the lead guard cleared his throat, looking just as dumbfounded as the guards surrounding him. Zane’s face was finally fully out of his hood, mouth half agape in astonishment. “You're–”

“The Earth Ninja. Right…” the lead guard clearing his throat for a second time, looking as if he had insulted someone of higher authority. “I apologize for the misunderstanding, we regret wasting your time. Please, carry on with your day.”

Cole stared at the guard, utterly surprised, his mind buzzing with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. He felt his feet sway. That went easier than he thought. Too easy. Sure he understood that he and the other ninja were pretty high up as far as the law goes, but for security to let him and a trespasser off so easily after they’d tried to outrun them twice was outrageous. He was almost afraid to question why they’d let them go, thus convincing them out of it. Cole turned to Zane who was almost matching Cole’s expression.

“Let’s get out of here,” he suggested, scooping up his coat and pack. He approached the second guard who was absentmindedly holding onto Zane’s satchel and bag of goods and took them from her hands without a word.

“And you.” He heard the lead guard address Zane, watching from the corner of his eye as Zane tensed up at the man’s assertive voice booming down at him. Cole listened carefully.

“If we see your face here again without registration, you better hope your friend is with you or you'll end up in the bottom, most darkest floor of the facility, understand?” Cole’s eyes began to narrow, watching Zane give a quivering nod. The guard left the teens side and strode off, signaling for the other security guards to follow, all filing out of the aisle, leaving the two alone. Cole released a breath he didn't know he’d been holding and went back to Zane’s side, holding out his satchel to him which he took gratefully, still tensed up and shaking. They sauntered to the elevator. Neither of them uttered a word.

 

  
“I can’t believe it. You’re one of the ninja!” Zane hadn’t spoken until the moment they left Base: Vixen’s vault door. Throughout the stomach-raising elevator ride up, they’d both been recovering from the events which had unfolded before them just moments before, leaving things unanswered, untouched and unsaid until Zane had the courage to tell the world his discovery. Cole shielded his eyes from the bright sun that had been descending over the mountains ahead, wishing he could have refilled his canteen before having to walk ten miles home.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s me, the Black Ninja, I know. Figures.” Cole sighed, suddenly very tired from everything that had happened in the last hour. Zane gave Cole a curious glance, walking alongside him as they both began to leave Base: Vixen’s premises.

“Why? Everyone speaks of the SNF back at Stix, they’re incredible.” Cole’s brows knitted together with doubt, rerunning the behavior of the Base: Vixen guards in his head.

“I know. It’s just something about how the security back in the market reacted. What if there’s more to what they think of us than we know?”

“What do you mean?” Zane asked, giving Cole a quizzical look. Cole exhaled slowly.

“Nothing. It’s something me and the other ninja are going to have to discuss. Got a home?” Zane raised his eyebrows at Cole’s question.

“I… A home? Like a shelter? No. Not exactly, but-”

“Awesome. Great. You’re coming with me.”

“What?” Zane staggered to a stop. “Where?” Cole halted soon after, turning to face Zane again.

“Oh, sorry, unless you're not up for the travel, The Refuge is ten miles away, and there could very well be Nindroids around… Sorry, I should have asked-”

“No, I'm perfectly capable of walking that far, I've walked for longer but… Why do you want me to come with you?” Zane asked carefully.

“Hey man, do you want to have dinner with the Secret Ninja Force or not?” He gave a generous smirk, but got no excitement in return, just a confused gaze from Zane. Cole sighed. “I’d just hate to see you leave to nothing to call home. It's my duty to help people in any way I can. Just for tonight,” he pleaded softly. He waited, his heart giving a leap as he finally saw that smile, gentle and grateful, yet beaming like the sun. Zane readjusted the collar of his hood.

“Alright. I will come. Just for tonight at least.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Look at that! Hope I wasn't too late. Anyway, if you're into art and all that and hope for possible art for this fic, my Instagram is @cyclondont, feel free to stop by!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole brings an unexpected guest from Base: Vixen and no one is proud of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been like 80 years and y’all probably think I’m dead but OOPS I’m not I’m just a slow writer who gets writers block 24/7. Sorry this is like half the length of the last chapter but I didn’t want to wait any longer to post it because it’s already been long enough  
> Uuhhh enjoy!

Cole never felt more in trouble. And that’s a big thing to say when you fight Nindroids for a living.

What did he think he was _doing?_

The entire walk back to the Refuge just got worse and worse for his mind, which was swimming with so many possible thoughts, racking his brain, and at least one of them was bound to come true. Here he was, bringing some stranger into the _secret_ entrance of the _secret_ base where the _Secret_ Ninja Force was dwelling, most of them awaiting an unexpected visit from an outsider Cole decided to drag along back all the way from Base: Vixen with no approval from his sensei or any of his more experienced teammates. Cole basically prepared for the worst. Either both him and Zane were going to be kicked out the moment they boarded that elevator lift, or he’d end up _not_ dying tonight and he’d be satisfied that his guest would simply spend just one night and a few good, real meals with them. He didn’t _need_ to do it, hell, he could have just said ‘bye and left like it wasn’t his problem, but when he set his mind to doing something, he made sure it was bound to be done, and there was something about Zane that told him that there was nothing stopping him, not even his teammates.

The two of them stepped up to the lonely, very dry well and stared down into its dark and mysterious depths, Zane looking intrigued while Cole was still thinking endlessly, not having spoken for at least twenty minutes, alone with his own mind and uneasiness.

“Are you okay?” Cole suddenly did some sort of defensive stance, his hands in front of him as if ready to snap a block of wood in half. He remained awkwardly stiff until he realized Zane was just addressing him.

“I- Gah, uh, yeah! I’m fine. Uh, here we are, well sweet well, I guess.” He took a step back from the lift and gestured to it. “Guests first.”

Zane shot Cole a glance before examining the lift some more, gripping the edge of the well with one hand, taking a swift leap over the pale stone wall and crashing down onto the elevator lift, his gleaming white cloak rippling in the wind.

Cole felt his breath hitch and followed silently, taking them down to the bottom with ease while Zane was busy gazing around the cave-like tunnels and cold yet damp, towering walls surrounding them. Cole didn’t share the same fascination as him. The tunnels were never a sight the second time you looked at them.

The lift jerked to a stop at the bottom of the well causing a clatter that sent a few families of wildlife to scatter or fly deeper into the impenetrable blackness that was the surrounding miles of sewers. Cole and Zane hopped off the lift with ease as their feet hit the mucky floor.

Zane covered his face with his bandana in response to the stuffy air, silently falling in behind Cole as they wandered down the wide opening of the tunnels.

Cole proceeded anxiously, eyes focused on the outlines of his feet as Zane followed, the air uncomfortably quiet as the only sound surrounding them were footsteps and the echoing drops of water dripping rhythmically from the cave’s ceiling. Cole hugged his arms in response to the cold, damp night atmosphere as he approached the long awaited opening that was the entrance to their living quarters, covered up with an old, matted curtain that barely closed out the chatter of the residents within.

Cole suddenly felt sick hearing their voices. His friends had no idea what they were about to be in for.

He shoved the old curtain out of the way with a quivering hand and crouched inside, giving his guest permission to do the same. Zane followed close behind, propping up the curtain so he could enter.

The air was just as unbreathable as it had been outside, Zane first noticed, potentially worse having been quite a few stories underground. As he got a clear view of the Refuge’s interior, he found that it was indeed small and absolutely everything had been made up from scratch, but it was impressive for what had been made of it. He figured it was one big, messy, hollowed out part of the sewer’s wall that had been held up and put together by wooden planks, boards, boxes and just about anything else. Curtains and old blankets had covered the artificial walls for hospitality or possibly a little decoration in the dark and lifeless dwelling.

No one had been in the room they had entered, but Zane could pick up plenty of muffled chatter in the next “room” over, coming from another curtained doorway in the back of the room. Where they were currently had a cluttered wooden table off-center of the room, a metal sink, some cupboards and an unlit fireplace with a pot propped over it, all crowded in one corner.

Zane guessed this was the kitchen.

He observed some more as Cole dumped his pack full of food on the table, drumming his fingers on the wood as he listened to the sounds of victorious laughter accompanied by playful threats on the other side of the wall. Lloyd and Jay must have been sparing.

Cole’s eyes wandered around the kitchen aimlessly, thinking, and the moment his eyes hit the sink, he realized how insanely thirsty he was. Reaching for his empty canteen, Cole darted for the knob of the sink, filling the jug halfway and taking a good, long swing from it. Once he was finished, he wiped the bottom of his lip with his sleeve and turned to see Zane quietly observing the room, particularly the door to the more lively one, curiosity plain on his face.

“Uh, you can go in there and meet them if you want.” He insisted, his voice choked in hesitancy. He quickly cleared it and approached the white-haired boy, holding out the canteen to him, figuring he was just as thirsty. Zane took it graciously. “But, be aware that they’ll be a little… thrown off. We’ve never had an unexpected guest here.” Zane, once finished, handed the canteen to Cole and nodded quietly in understanding as Cole placed the canteen aside and reached for the curtain first, taking a painful gulp before shoving it out of the way to step inside.

It was distinctively louder on the other side of the curtain. Kai had been busy on the pull up bar in the corner opposite of the doorway, far too focused counting aloud to notice Cole enter the room. Nya was on her bunk, reading from a book with the radio sitting next to her blasting 2330’s music and, as Cole had predicted, Lloyd and Jay were noisily sparing one-on-one in the middle of the room.

“Cole!” Lloyd had been the first to notice the Earth Ninja‘s presence, Jay following soon after and yelling “food!” at the same velocity. Nya glanced up from her book only momentarily while Kai, not pausing from his workout, muttered a “hey, Cole.”

Lloyd and Jay were making their way over to the Earth Ninja until upon approaching the doorway, skidded to a halt halfway to him, their exciting expressions shifting. Kai, wondering why the clammar had quieted, turned his head away from his bar, resulting in him slamming his head painfully into the ceiling while the book Nya was holding slid from her hands and thumped onto the floor.

Eyes from all sides were now on the newcomer that had emerged from behind Cole, and yet the one who brought him was the one to feel their stares. The music from the radio played on, remaining the only sound in the room, making it hard for Cole’s brain to work. It took at least 20 seconds for Nya to reach over and shut the radio off.

Cole cleared his throat for the fifth time. “Guys, this is Zane, I found him alone at the Base–“

“Er–Nice to meet you Zane, I’m Lloyd.” Cole let go of the lump lodged deep in his throat when he heard Lloyd step up cheerfully, watching the blonde hold out his hand to the newcomer. Zane gladly took it, his hood still sitting atop his pure white hair though his face was unhidden, kindly smiling down at the youngest of the ninja.

Cole felt a sense of uneasiness as Jay, Kai and Nya all still remained quiet. It felt as if Zane and Lloyd’s interaction was ages long. He felt the need to busy himself somehow, and he did so by quickly taking his scythe off his back and placing it in its rightful place on the wall, quivering without being able to help it.

Finally, the three that were silent began to throw in some words to Zane, nothing too questioning, mostly just awkward but easy introduction, getting a little closer to face him but all unsure of what to do or how to react.

Cole returned soon after, smoothing out the front of his gi with unawaringly clammy hands.

“–yes, I don’t own a Base license, you see, speaking of which, this soup is getting quite cold, is there anything I could…”

“Of course.” Nya responded to Zane’s unfinished request. “Our fireplace is right this way if you want me to take care of that for you.” Zane nodded graciously and the two of them left through the doorway again, shutting the curtain faster than Cole wanted them to. The three other ninja watched and listened as Zane and Nya continued conversation in the other room. When they were sure they were occupied, all three whipped their gaze right in Cole’s direction.

Cole was about ready to climb up out of the well and scream into the night. The looks they gave were threatening him to fess up whatever was going on or some untold consequence would befall him. Kai looked most skeptical of all while Jay seemed neutral yet in need of some kind of explanation. Lloyd was the only one that didn’t look like he was about to snap Cole’s neck. He seemed a bit confused if anything.

“Cole, who was that?” Jay asked almost passive aggressively.

If the thing in Cole’s throat had been a lump before, it was an entire boulder now.

“I told you, he accompanied me on the way back from Base: Vixen.” He said as calm and clear as possible, trying not to make it look like he wanted to sink into the floor.

“You brought a stranger into the Refuge,” Kai continued, more aggressive than passive. “You don’t just go and decide to do that Cole, at least without telling us about it first.”

“You don’t understand, he was hungry, he had nowhere to go–“

“And not to mention he snuck into Base: Vixen without a license too, Cole, isn’t that against the law?” Jay pitched in again, folding his arms tightly.

“He’s not some criminal, alright? He was just– it doesn’t matter, why is it so _bad_ that I took him here anyway?”

“Yeah, he seems pretty nice to me.” Lloyd muttered, but he wasn’t quite acknowledged.

“Because for all we know, he could be a spy or something.”

“A spy? For what, the _Nindroids?_ ” Cole spat sarcastically back at Jay, throwing an arm in front of him.

“Need I remind you, Cole, that no one knows where those _Nindroids_ came from? The person who made them? Who programmed them? Who keeps building them and sending them to bring people to their deaths?” Jay started to raise his voice so rapidly that Cole was afraid the Lightning Ninja’s points would be heard through the other side of the curtain. “For all we know, whoever is behind this entire apocalypse could be emerging from the shadows of his factory as we speak, and spies are a possibility, especially for us, because we and the Base facilities are the only thing stopping them from wiping out the human race. Have you ever thought of that Cole?”

Cole didn’t say anything, rather, he _couldn’t_ say anything. Part of him knew Jay and his whiny, over the top voice was right. All of them were right. Merely living in this time and place, it was like treading in dangerous waters, and every action was risky. He knew there was some sort of force behind this he just never thought about it, and what it could be doing right at this moment.

“Is everything going alright in there?” Though Zane’s voice was soft, it made Cole and the other remaining in the room jolt at its suddenness. “Nya and I thought we would prepare dinner, if you’d like to join.”

That didn’t derive Jay from his point.

“He can’t stay,” he stated precisely. Cole looked Jay in the eye, his brows knitting together as he shook his head rapidly.

“No, I told him he could spend the night, I promised him he could.” He’d already destroyed his promise with Lloyd all those months ago when he told him they’d find his parents alive the night they found him, he didn’t want to break another one.

Kai knew this, and pressed his palm on one side of his face, running it through his hair and scratching his scalp with a groan.

“Fine! Fine,” he sighed airily. “But if anything happens from this, it’s on you.”

“Yo! Your peanut butter and honey sandwiches are getting stale!” rang Nya’s voice from the curtain. Jay’s expression brightened as he veered toward the doorway, his skeptical manor vanishing in an instant.

“Did someone say honey?” He gasped. A shout from Lloyd followed.

“ _Did someone say peanut butter?!_ ”

 

 

 

“So, where’s Wu?” Cole wondered, licking away a smudge of honey from the top of his lip.

Nya answered him. “He’s been out meditating. He’s been doing that more lately.”

All six of them were sitting around the table scarfing up their newly made meals while Zane was solitarily enjoying his cauliflower cream soup, keeping the rolls away in his satchel for his departure in the morning.

“Maybe he’s starting to pick up some outside force or message or whatever he believes in.” Jay added, carefully peeling off the crust from his sandwich. “He can do whatever, just as long as some Nindroid doesn’t annihilate him while he’s ‘om’-ing out in the open.”

Nya rolled her eyes and retrieved Cole’s plate from in front of him when he was finished, the Earth Ninja scooting his chair back and placing his tired feet on the edge of the table as she did, shutting his eyes for a moment.

“So, Zane, where’d you come from?” Lloyd chirped once the room grew quiet. There was the clatter of a spoon before there was an answer.

“Well, nowhere and everywhere, really. Before Base: Vixen I came from Stiix, but I was not there for long,” Zane answered almost hesitantly.

“What about before that?” Another pause.

“I was traveling for a very, very long time before Stiix, more than a couple of years or so, but before that I lived in Jamanakai Village. It’s a lonely city outside of their own Base, Base: Fennec, many of the buildings were in ruins and food and water were scarce–”

“And before that?”

“I do not remember.”

Cole cracked open a curious eye as an even longer pause proceeded. As foreign tensions started to build, Lloyd cut them off immediately with another question.

“And, you were alone through all of it?” Lloyd pressed.

“I’ve met few along the way, but, as far as I can remember, yes.”

Lloyd mouthed a whistle, taking another bite into his sandwich. “I couldn’t imagine.”

 

 

 

When Wu returned, he approved Zane’s stay, though it wasn’t really clear what he thought about the matter. It was hard to read him in the moment, but when Kai had explained the situation to him, Wu offered Zane a bunk and went straight for his own, no welcome, no questions, just the approval to stay the night.

Cole figured it was because Wu thought that they were all responsible enough to sort something out like this themselves, either that or he didn’t think a stranger staying one night just to leave in the morning was as big of a deal as Kai and Jay made it out to be.

Whatever the reason, Cole was glad it was settled. He could finally relax.

Or so he thought he could.

He couldn’t quite distinguish why, but though he could finally stop holding his breath, he still found himself tense as before as he showed Zane to where he was staying the night, which happened to be the only bunk empty which also happened to be the one right beneath Cole’s.

“So, you can just wake us up if you need anything.” the ninja in black yawned, watching as his cloaked guest placed his satchel neatly on the bedside table. “We usually get up around 6:25 for breakfast but you can wake up whenever you want and one of us can send you off.”

“Thank you greatly for your kindness, Cole, no one else would have done the same as you have and if there’s any way I can show you my gratitude I–“

“It’s fine, you don’t have to owe us anything.” Cole obliged again, trying to make it sound as little of a deal as possible. “Trust me.”

He heard a resentful-like exhale from the other boy as he threw off his cloak and hung it neatly on his bed frame, sensing a bit of irritation, something Cole had yet to see from him in the past hours he’d been in his presence. Though he was frustrated, there was still a sense of gentleness and regrowing patience.

Zane stepped a little closer to Cole, more collected, and Cole now noticed with newfound shock that Zane was much taller than the ninja had last perceived. He didn’t quite have the build that Cole had but his form was much more defined now that the Earth Ninja had a good look at him without the protection of his cloak. He appeared to be more conserved under the beautiful coat, smaller, but now that it had been cast aside, his new revealed stature caused Cole to forget what they were even talking about in the first place.

“You must allow me to think of something.” Zane pressed.

It took a few seconds for Cole to focus again, and when he finally did, he began to back away towards the ladder leading up to his bunk.

“Alright, fine, I know what you could do. Get a good night's rest!”

Before Zane could reply Cole flew up the ladder and dove into his bed, reaching for the lamp on the shelf next to him and blurting a “goodnight!” before blowing it out. The only light in the room came from the kitchen’s doorway, and Zane was still standing alone in the middle of the room like a lost kid in a rainstorm.

Cole finally pulled his eyes away, figuring Zane was alright to get settled in himself. Soon enough, the light from the kitchen went out. He heard the rustling of sheets beneath him and the room dissolved into a heavy, peaceful silence. Nothing but the soft and quiet sounds of sleep were slowly drowning Cole in fatigue, and as he buried himself deeper into his covers, he felt an unidentifiable warmth radiating from his face in particular.

The Earth Ninja pulled his hand away from his face abruptly, letting a soft grunt escape his lips. It would be unfortunate to get a fever now.


End file.
